Journalist. Mother. Bunny enthusiast. Pop culture junkie.

Monday, January 31, 2011

This weekend my male counterpart, Jonny Fabulous, came to visit me from Branson.

It made me so happy because I love him. We've been best friends for six years. This weekend, we spent cozy nights drinking cocktails in fancy hotel bars and watching movies at his friend's house. We went shopping at our favorite stores. We reminisced about college. We visited a few mutual friends.

Before he left, Kerrie and I took him to our favorite restaurant!

I'm excited because since Jonny's show is on hiatus for a few months, he has a lot more weekends free to visit me. Yay!

Needless to say, I'm the happiest I have been in a long time. Close friends have that effect, I guess.

After sending Jonny off, Kerrie and I went vintage dress shopping.

Kerrie tried on this gorgeous dress. I just had to take a photo!

We then had some happy juice and took photos outside.

After way too much happy juice, we ended up at a McDonald's restroom. I'm not sure why or how much time we spent there. I don't even remember taking these photos, to be honest.

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Well, at least that's the message one gathers from Claude Chabrol’s Les Bonnes Femmes at first glance.

But truly, the message is a lot deeper.

The film is an anti-love story, following four shopgirls as they trudge through their dreary, uninspiring lives in Paris. They are women we encounter every day. They are us. A party girl. The timid, loveblind fiance. The girl who secretly wants to be a star. The girl who dreams of being swept up by a white knight.

But unfortunately, these women live in the real world where men are not Prince Charmings.

Reality is a knife that can cut deep when you're busy drowning in yourself.

The sultry and scandalous Les Bonnes Femmes was released in France in 1960. Its graphic content (for that time period) caused such an uproar, citizens trashed movie theaters showing the film.

By the time it was released in the United States in 1966, it was overshadowed by more famous French New Wave films.

What I enjoyed about this film was that behind the ugliness of men, it showed the ugliness of women. Humans are crippled with millions of flaws, one of the most important being faulty perception. Why do we long for the mysterious, gorgeous stranger when our soul mate sits under our nose? Why do we waste our lives daydreaming when we could be living? Why don't we find happiness, rather than wait for it to fall in our laps?

The film doesn't promise answers. It just merely provides the questions.

While admiring these gorgeous designs, it is easy to disregard how much work goes into each piece. Although the design process is quick (usually about two weeks from sketch to prototype), it can take up to two years to get from the concept to the toy store.

As the principle designer, Robert is responsible for everything: hair, makeup, shoes, jewelry, clothes, and accessories. He also oversees the packaging.

One of his most proudest accomplishments was a gown called the Generation of Dreams, which featured images of Barbie throughout the years.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Growing up in the US, I have always been fascinated by royalty. The concept of it seems magical to me. I always tend to associate kings and queens with fairy tales, rather than real life.

My generation seems to be obsessed with the two most famous royals, Will & Harry. While I enjoy Will’s boyish good looks and Harry’s bad boy charm, I must admit I’m rather bored with them. So, I decided to research the other royals. Some I already knew about, others were complete unknowns to me. I had no idea there were so many around my age!

Here are some of the most intriguing young royals I came across:

Prince Carl Philip

You may remember this Swedish dreamboat from my last post. Truly a Disney prince come to life, Carl embodies every aspect a girl is looking for in a man. Not only is he rich and handsome, the 32-year-old prince enjoys racing cars and is quite the talented photographer. Oh, and rumor has it he’s shy. Awwwwww…

Andrea Casiraghi

Another royal hunk is the eldest son of Princess Caroline of Monaco and grandson of Hollywood legend Grace Kelly. Quite the playboy, this devilishly handsome royal enjoys sunbathing in the tropics and partying all over Europe. But don’t take this 26-year-old for just another pretty face. He’s fluent in French, English, and Italian. He is also involved in numerous charities.

Charlotte Casiraghi

Andrea’s 24-year-old sister was also blessed with her grandmother’s iconic beauty, plus her brilliant fashion sense. A friend of designer Stella McCartney and muse to Karl Lagerfeld, the journalist is no stranger to the fashion world. Charlotte is, in fact, using her power to do some good for the fashion community. She is currently the editor-at-large for Above Magazine, which uses fashion as a way of raising awareness of the endangered environment. She also created Ever Manifesto, a free publication on the fashion industry's harmful impact on the global environment.

Sheikh Hamdan

This 28-year-old is the Crown Prince of Dubai and worth an estimated $18 billion. But this stud doesn’t need money to attract the ladies. When he’s not performing his royal duties, the prince enjoys writing romantic poetry and being a competitive equestrian. His other passions include camels, cars, and skydiving.

Princess Madeleine

While her older brother, Carl, tries to shy away from the public eye, this 27-year-old blonde bombshell seems to thrive in it. The King of Sweden’s youngest daughter always manages to make headlines with her glamorous romances and tragic heartbreaks. The bubbly blonde currently resides in New York City. Despite her wild partying, the princess can be noted for her dedication and hard work towards her mother, Queen Silvia’s charitable organization, the World Childhood Foundation.

Sirivannavari Nariratana

Twenty-four-year-old Princess Sirivannavari is the daughter of Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn of Thailand. This beauty has been making international waves recently as an accomplished fashion designer. After showing two seasons during Bangkok's fashion week, she showed a collection during Paris' fashion week in the fall of 2007. She has also been an international badminton competitor, taking home a gold medal in the 2006 Southeast Asian games.

Saturday, January 22, 2011

I have three friends with weddings coming up this summer. The more I hear about it or read about it (Facebook newsfeed is a cesspool of matrimony when you're 20-something), the more I realize I'm not ready to be bound to someone for the rest of my life just yet. I want to have fun first.

As soon as I come up with the funds (by way of either winning the lottery or selling body parts), I am going to take a two-part trip I have been planning for the past five years.

This is a trip I always imagined experiencing by myself. I know it sounds cheesy and ridiculously EatPrayLove-ish, but I feel like taking this trip alone would help me not only discover my roots but help me discover myself. I want to feel free before I get myself tied down.

But who knows...these trips are SO expensive (I often calculate the cost in my free time, looking up air fare and hotels and such). There is a good chance I won't be able to take this trip before I'm married. But I'm not giving up. I can't.